


White Dress Hunting

by Little_Firestar84



Category: Bull (TV 2016)
Genre: F/M, Friendship, One Shot, Short One Shot, Wedding Dresses, Wedding Planning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-21
Updated: 2020-01-21
Packaged: 2021-02-27 20:02:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,201
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22349209
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Little_Firestar84/pseuds/Little_Firestar84
Summary: “One week? She is getting married in one week?” Or: the one where Chunk helps Benny's fiancè, and Bull's sister, looking for the perfect dress for an almost forty years woman at her second wedding.
Relationships: Benny Colón/Original Female Character(s), Sarah Bull/Benny Colón
Kudos: 10





	White Dress Hunting

As she walked through TAC’s corridor, Sarah barely resisted skimming over the glass walls, engulfed by the magic of the place she had learnt to call home after Jason’s near-death experience. It was almost surreal how much things had changed in less than two years:she and her step-brother weren’t just back on speaking terms, but they were as close as they used to be when they were kids, and now, because of a stroke… well, because of a stroke, she had made new friends, left a job that didn’t make her happy in her hometown and, on top of that, she was about to add to her family, and her daughter would finally have a dad.

She played with the engagement ring on her felt hand, still unused to it and its weight, its presence; the blue gems and the two diamonds shone, hit by the sunlight filtering through the glass windows, and yet again she found herself sighing dreamily. She couldn’t believe her luck- getting Jason back had made her met his (sort of) brother-in-law, and now, here she was, engaged to be married to the handsome lawyer.

She looked around for her prey, until she spotted him, luckily alone, in the break room, drinking fresh coffee and looking like in Heaven. “Hey Chunk, listen…” She cleared her voice, blushing a little rolling on her heels with hands behind her back. “ I could really use your help right now. If you are not too busy, of course…” 

He smiled, sipping his coffee. “Sure. What for?”

Sarah bit her lips, picking at her fingernails. She pouted, keeping in silence, as she was steading herself for what she was about to say. “So, the thing is, Benny and I are getting married.”

He snickered a little, and she stared at him down. “Sorry. Yeah, Ok. I know. So?”

“So, I need….” She swallowed and took a big breath. “I need your help with… with the dress. Picking my wedding dress, I mean.”

“I thought you would have asked Izzie.”He lifted an eyebrow, quizzically looking at her figure.

“Well, yes, I could, and I think she could open all sort of doors for me, but….” She groaned, as if looking for words. “I don’t want my fashionista soon-to-be sister-in-law to know that I’m an idiot when it comes to fashion. It’s bad enough that Jason knows that I used to be a tomboy- they don’t need to know that I’m still one.”

He looked at you – really looked at you- with the eye of not the man of law he was turning out to be, but the fashion expert and designer he had been before moving to TAC. “I don’t see what’s wrong with what you are wearing- you’ve got good taste, and a nice figure. Of course, you ought to be careful, given that you are so short, but, you alwayswears clothes that compliment you.”

He did what Sarah guessed was a quick survey, circling her, looking with a clinical eye. She was wearing casual clothes- like always – but on the nice side: palazzo jeans with medium blackheels, a striped shirt with boat neckline and a beige trench. She knew it was classic, and something she couldn’t go wrong with.

“I’ve got three words for you: one is Google, the other two are personal shopper.”

He shrugged, hands in his pockets. “Well, I would have never guessed. So, When do you have your appointment?”

She checked the time. “Half an hour.”

Sighing, Chunk walked her out, arm around her shoulder. “Well, let’s do this.”

“How in the world you found this place?!” It wasn’t a compliment, Sarah knew. If nothing else, Chunk was trying to be nice and police about the whole thing. The bridal salon was…. Well, different from what she had seen in the internet, it was small, smelled funny, dark,humid and dusty.Even the owner looked like someone from an horror movie, ready to devour the brides-to-be as soon as they were left alone with him. 

Chunk fingered some of the fabric with one finger, almost disgusted, and sighed. Cobwebs. Great. “Sarah, I don’t think they’ve created a dress in at least twenty years here.”

“Well, then my wedding dress will be vintage.”

“Honey, no- your dress will be old. There’s a whole difference between old and vintage, and there’s no line to cross. Here is old. In a nice, violet-scented boutique on fifth avenue, they are vintages.”

She actually stomped her feet. “Well, I’m getting dressed in _ten days, s_ o I can’t really afford anything else! Any other shop, they’d book an appointment six months in advance and Benny and I want to get married now!”

“Yeah, I really don’t get it. I mean, you are both Catholics, so, all right, but, why the sudden hurry?” He took his phone out, and started sending texts, unnerving Sarah a little- he was there with her, he was supposed to be concentrated on her, and instead… instead, he looked at his phone. “You aren’t pregnant, aren’t you? Because if you are, Bull will actually Kill Benny- or at least attack him in broad daylight at the office.”

“Mean.” He grabbed her for the elbow and, before the old creepy man could utter a sole word, they were out of the shop. “Where are we going?”

“You may have dragged me along for my expertise, honey, but,” Chunk chuckled, tapping on your wrist. “But I used to work for world-famous designers. For Vogue. And my name still means something in the industry. World’s filled with people owning me.”

She swallowed. “Chunk, where are you taking me?”

He beamed with joy. “But at Kleinfeld, of course. Where else?”

“One week? She is getting married in _one week_?” The middle-aged woman with ebony skin, the most elegant creature Sarah had ever saw in her life, looked at the bride-to-be sternly, as a disappointed father, and Sarah felt even smaller in her Five feet- she almost felt ashamed.

“Listen, Jacq, don’t tell anyone, but I think they are eloping. He is a good catholic, and I think he doesn’t want to have a kid outside marriage. You know how they are.” Chunk lied through his teeth, whispering conspiratorially as pretending that Sarah couldn’t hear him. Jacq looked back at Sarah, almost to say how sorry she was for the girl- and that she was supposed to be ashamed of herself – and nodded. “Let’s just get something in her size. I can work on adjustments on my own. _Please?”_

“Well, all right. I think I could have something available for prompt delivery in your size… it’s nothing recent, thought….” She vanished in the corridors and basement of the shop, almost a maze, and she and another girl – a young woman who looked like a faery out some kid’s tale came back with a tower of dresses, making Chunk whistle and Sarah pale. 

The first dress was pure white, with a knee length pencil skirt and short sleeves. “Nope. It makes you look even shorter than what you are.”

The second one was a classic wedding dress- one out if fairy-tales, big, puffy and _azure,_ with off the shoulders straps. 

“Oh, God, no!” He rolled his eyes as he went behind Sarah by the mirror. “What are you, Cinderella?”

And on and on and on it went- with descriptions that varied between “stripper” (a short, sleeveless number with spaghetti straps and a huge neckline), “Are you going to the office afterwards?” (a pants and top suit in grey), “what is that thing supposed to be on her head? Are you crazy, Brooke?” (a huge hat in place of a veil), “Another stripper dress? What is she supposed to do, rip off the tulle and stay in lingerie on her wedding night?”, “it looks like a tent” and so on. 

Her hair a mess, Sarah puffed, and threw the last dress Jack had given her to Chunk, hissing between clenched teeth. “Ok, you know what? I give up! I’ll wear the first thing out of my wardrobe!” 

Chunk delicately pout the dress on a stand – even if, given what a monstrosity of cubism it was, he would have rather burn it to the ground – and went to sit next to Sarah into the changing room. She was in a robe, sniffing, her barely-there make-up completelyundone. He took a wet nap from the vanity in the corner and delicately he patted her face, cleaning her up. 

“Here. You are perfect. You don’t even need make-up to begin with.” He patted her hand as she blown her nose. “Now, I know we don’t really have a lot of time, but we just need to get our priorities straight. Just trying random clothes isn’t going to get you anywhere, all right?” She nodded, still sniffing. “So, tell me what you want, what you like, and what your wedding is going to be like.”

Feeling a little better, Sarah straightened up and looked at her own reflection in the mirror. She could do this, especially because she wasn’t alone, because there was a man with good sense with her- and who was honest. 

“All right. Well, I’m almost in my forties, and this is technically my second wedding…”

“Ok, good, we are already going somewhere!” He clapped his hands, enthusiastic. “Let’s talk about your first marriage! What did you like of your dress back then?”

She stood in silence, biting her lips, then, she almost whispered her confession. Chunk clenched his eyes, and got closer, as to silently ask her to repeat, and only then she did. “I wore white pants and a Sangallo blouse. And this cute pair of tennis shoes in the same Sangallo.”

He sighed, his head between his hands. “All right. All right. Let’s… talk about the wedding in general, then?”

“Well, we are keeping it very simple- no registry, no wedding shower, the day before ours, there’s another couple getting married so we don’t even have to worry about flowers and decorations.”

“What flowers? You know?”

“ White flowers. Freesias and roses and ivy. I saw a sketch when we went to talk with our Priest, and it was lovely.” She nodded as she spoke. “Uh, my kid’s going to be my bridesmaid – she is wearing her Holy Communion dress – it’s very simple, white satin, short sleeves, and with blue stripes on the skirt. Bull’s walking me down the aisle- I’m not even sure where our dad is supposed to be right now. Izzy’s walking with Benny.”

“Ok. What are they wearing? Let’s see if was can get any idea.”

“Benny’s had chosen a grey suit, and a silvery tie. Simple and elegant. He looks very good in it.” She blushed. “I kind of have a thing for men in suits. Uhm, Izzie’s dress is this pale pink demi-long dress – short sleeves, lace on the top.”

“Do you know what life, and your brother, taught me? To care about what the others want, but up to a point- because at the end of the day, it’s our story that needs to be told, and we are supposed to make other people see things our way. What I mean is,” He took a big breath, and looked sweetly at Sarah. “Forget all nonsense rules about second weddings and older brides. What do _you_ want? Tell me. Help me envision this thing. Let’s see if we can find something here, or somewhere else.”

Jacq looked almost hurt at Chunk- as offended by the idea that something couldn’t be there. “Just do what he said, sweetheart. What do you like? What makes you feel comfortable and yet beautiful?”

Sarah’s eyes fell on her clothes, hanged in the corner. “Soft lines. Uhm, I think I’d like something shorter, maybe knee length or just under the knee. Short sleeves, or sleeves- I’m kind of conscious when it comes to my arms. Definitely not a deep neckline. No veil, and as little accessories as possible. I’m open to all colors. Really. Although I already wore white once, so I’m not sure?”

“I think I may have an idea….” Jacq vanished, to reappear almost twenty minutes later, with a dress in her arms. “Now, this one is slightly bigger, but if Chunk can _really_ help you with adjustments, you could get it done just in time.”

It was strapless, in white satin- just the same fabric and color of her daughter’s dress, with the skirt knee length in front, and ankle-length behind. She helped Sarah in the dress, and Brooke quickly tied her hair in a messy ponytail, decorating the hair with some jewel-ish pins, and handed her over a the softest piece of lace fabric Sarah had ever felt on her skin, a bolero jacket.

She went outside the changing room, and looked at the full-size mirror, at her reflection, and felt like crying. “Thank you. For everything.” She sobbed, sniffing loudly. Chunk squeezed her shoulders, not even needed to ask if she thought she had found what she was looking for. It was written all over her face. 

“Benny’s gonna love it. You’ll make him cry, too.”

(Little did he know that he was right….)


End file.
